Is There Somewhere
by Halsey1812
Summary: Just an idea that's been in my head for awhile. Tommy/Kimberly.
1. Chapter 1

She locked eyes with her reflection over the sink. She looked like crap. Dark circles hung permanently under her eyes, her hair needed to be washed yesteryear, and, despite the extra-strong peppermint toothpaste, she had a sour taste in her mouth.

"So, I'm going to go." A tall blonde stuck his head around the corner.

She spit out the toothpaste and wiped her mouth. "Okay, Sam. Have a good day."

"It's Seth," he hesitated and stuck his head in the tiny bathroom, "I left my number on your vanity if you wanted to meet up sometime."

"Oh," she grabbed a hairband and gathered her hair into a ponytail, "great. Thanks, Sean."

"It's Seth," he mumbled walking out of the room.

She waited until she heard the front door open and close before heading out of the bathroom. Surveying the mess in her bedroom, she began to strip the sheets off the bed. She gathered everything up, made her way to the laundry room, and dumped the sheets and blankets in with some soap and fabric softener.

Making her way to the kitchen, she started to piece together the night before. She had made the mistake of watching the news - a live report on the Power Rangers as they fought some mega monster that had been terrorizing the city of Angel Grove for several days. Unsurprising. What was surprising was that one of the Rangers was killed before the monster was destroyed, and the identity of the ranger hadn't been released if it was even known at all.

She rummaged around in the refrigerator until her hand wrapped around a bottle of water. After watching, she had immediately turned the television off and made her way to the bar down the street. That was one of the perks of this tiny apartment in Reefside. The bar. Not that she used it often. Just when the man she loved could possibly be dead.

Used to love. Then man she used to love.

She had bought the apartment due to some morbid desire to still have some kind of tie to this part of California. She probably lived here ten days out of the year, but some part of her was comforted by it. Some sad, strange part.

Finished with the water, she found her running shoes, laced them up, and headed out the door. She had a speaking engagement at a local high school this afternoon. The school had recently started a gymnastics program, and, when they found out that a world champion owned property in town, the coach had reached out. She didn't mind. It would be good for her to give something back. Besides, if it went poorly she could hop a plane to France and forget about it. Or get drunk again.


	2. Chapter 2

I forgot to type out a disclaimer about how I don't own the characters last time. So, just in case you couldn't figure it out, I don't own any MMPR characters. Just the story.

There was something satisfying about running. As her feet struck the pavement in a quick rhythm, she felt a grin spread across her face. There was something about hearing her favorite music, feeling the sun on her bare shoulders and the wind in her face, and knowing that she was in complete control. She could move slower, faster, change direction, stop altogether: this run was hers.

Or so she thought.

Just as she passed a long row of window, her song changed, and there was a moment of quiet.

"Kimberly Ann Hart!"

Damn. Kim stopped mid-stride and turned. Standing outside the building was a tall, dark haired woman.

"Trini," she muttered as she began walking toward her. "You changed buildings," she said a little louder.

Trini grinned and wrapped her in a hug. "I'm suddenly very glad I didn't tell you."

"Yeah, yeah." Kim stepped back. "I'm sure you're really busy, so I'll just call-"

"Oh, no." Trini linked arms with hers and ushered her into the building. "The client I was supposed to meet with cancelled, so I'm free for the next hour."

"Super." She allowed herself to be led through a well-decorated waiting room and into what was obviously Trini's office. The furnishings were very modern and understated. Shades of yellow were gracefully mixed in with the other earth tones, and, she had to admit, there was a very comforting feel

Trini let go and closed the door behind them. "I don't understand how you can just not call me. You're in town. I'm in town. You're supposed to call."

She smiled and sank down on a comfy, white couch. "Trini, I'm sorry I didn't call. I got in yesterday."

"I accept your apology. Not your explanation." She walked over to a large desk and picked up a folder. Flipping it open, Trini began scanning the page.

"Tri."

"Don't you 'Tri' me." Trini signed whatever she was looking at with a flourish and walked over to a tall filing cabinet. "You're only here because I saw you out the window."

Sighing, she nodded her head. "I'm sorry," she said again, "I just-"

"Like living all alone in your little bubble where nothing can hurt you. Trust me, I understand."

"That's why you're paid the big bucks, doc."

"Psychiatric degrees withstanding," Trini sat down on the end of the couch, "How could you not tell me you were here?"

"I just got a little busy last night."

"Uh-huh." Trini picked up a pillow and tossed it at her. "Did you watch the news?"

She hid her face behind the pillow. "No."

"Liar." There was a long pause before she continued. "It wasn't him, Kimberly."

She uncovered her face and sat up straight. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said straightening the pillow behind her.

"Uh-huh."

"Uh-huh."

"You know you're totally textbook right now." Trini gave her a little shove.

"Whatever," she said, shoving back.

"I know!" Trini stood and grabbed her hand to pull her up, too. "Come over and have dinner with me tonight. That's not a question."

She rolled her eyes, "You can't make me come over to your house."

"Yes I can."

"You and what army?" She chuckled at the irony. "Seriously. What army?"

"Kim. I wouldn't invite him. I'm not cruel."

"I know." She sat back down on the couch. "But Billy, Jason? Zack's in Japan."

Trini nodded. "Billy's in LA. Jason will be free since they finished that thing last night…Oh," she caught the surprise on Kim's face. "You didn't know Jason was-"

"No," Kim said curtly, "I didn't." She stood up and walked towards the door. "I've got to go. I'll call you tomorrow." She gave Trini a quick hug. "I promise."

"Wait," Trini grabbed her arm again. "What are you doing today? Maybe we can have lunch if you won't come for dinner."

"I can't." Kim pulled her arm lose. "I was contacted by a gymnastic coach to speak with one of the high school teams. That's why I'm in town. It's today." She inched closer and closer to the exit. "So I should go."

"High school team?" Trini frowned. "Which school?"

"She shrugged the big one downtown."

"Reefside."

"I guess."

Trini nodded. "That should be fun." She nodded again. "Yeah, you should go do that."

"That's the plan." She opened the door. "But I will call you."

"I know you will." Trini smiled, "I'll see you later?"

"Right." Kim quickly left the building. Putting her earphones back in, she turned up the music and headed toward home. So much for no one knowing she was in town.


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own the power rangers. Just the story.  
**

* * *

"So you would be interested in holding a clinic for the girls?"

Kimberly smiled and nodded, "Of course. They asked such great questions and seem so passionate about everything. I would be honored to work with them."

"You have no idea how much this will mean to them." She shook Kim's hand again; "They've been talking about you for weeks. This will send them over the moon!"

"That's so kind." She almost had to yell to be heard over the growing crowd. The coach had told her there was a pep rally right after her meeting with the gymnastics team. The gym was filling up fast. "I think it will be a great opportunity for both me and the team."

The coach kept talking, but a movement across the gym caught Kimberly's eye. A tall, dark haired man was heading her way with a grin on his face. He caught Kim's eye and winked. Kim couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm sorry," she apologized to the still talking gymnastics coach, "I see someone I know and I should say hello. Please call me and we'll set up a day and time for the clinic this week." She shook hands with the woman one last time and headed across the gym floor.

"If it isn't the world famous Kimberly Hart. Come to grace us mere mortals with your presence?"

"Very funny, Jason." She laughed as he wrapped his arms around her in a huge hug.

"It's good to see you, Hart."

"You, too, Jase." Her voice was muffled in his red t-shirt. "What are you doing here?" she asked once he broke his hold around her.

"Honestly? Trini sent me." He grinned at her frown. "I know, she can be a little hard to handle when she gets an idea in her head."

"You're telling me." She sighed, "What are you supposed to do with me?"

"Take you to lunch." He laughed, "I'm supposed to kidnap you, probably tie you up, gag you, the whole thing, and then call her when you're safely in my jeep. She'll give me the coordinates to an undisclosed location where I'm sure you'll be tortured."

"Sounds like a party."

"Nothing you can't deal with."

Kim laughed. "Fine, I'll go. I just have to-" She went silent.

"Kim? What's wrong?"

But she had stopped listening. Instead her focus was on a second man who had walked into the gym. He looked different than the last time she had seen him. His hair was shorter – much shorter – and he held himself differently. He had always walked like a leader, but now he walked like a god. He was dressed humbly in jeans and a button up, black shirt and was stopping to talk with various students. All the girl looked at him like he was the epitome of their teenage dreams, and Kim remembered when he had been that for her.

"What are you looing at?" Jason looked over his shoulder. "Oh." He moved so he was directly in front of her. She had to stand on her toes to see over his shoulder. "Why is he here?" she whispered, worried he would hear her.

"You didn't know he would be here?"

She shook her head and continued to watch as he slowly worked his way through obviously admiring students towards Jason.

"What do you want to do?" Jason asked, putting a hand on her arm to snap her back into reality.

Kim continued to watch him walk across the gym. When was the last time she had seen him? It had been years. It had years of watching the news and reading articles religiously. Years of waiting to see his obituary. Years of worrying. It had been years since she had really seen Tommy Oliver.

"Kim?"

"Why is he here?" she asked again.

It was like he heard her. His eyes snapped up from the girl he was talking to and caught hers. She felt her heart stop and her stomach drop. Suddenly she couldn't breath. She tried to look away, tried to move, but she couldn't.

"Kim!" Jason grabbed her arm again and pulled her back to the present moment. "What do you want to do?"

She looked over his should again and saw that Tommy was heading towards them as fast as possible without running.

"Run," she whispered.

"What?" Jason leaned closer to her.

"I want to run."

He nodded. "Red jeep, parked in front. I'll meet you there. Don't leave."

"Yeah." She turned and hurried out of the gym, out of the school, and into the parking lot. Finding the jeep wasn't difficult, and she leaned against the side.

What the hell?

What the actual hell?

She sank to the ground. The asphalt burned her legs a little, but she didn't care. He was here. The only thing separating her and Tommy was a few walls. A few flimsy walls he could probably karate chop his way through if he really wanted to. She had been in the same building as he was, and she had agreed to go back!

Suddenly something clicked in her head – Trini had known. And instead of tell her not to go to the school, she had _let her walk willingly into this absurd trap!_ Kim was let out a frustrated sigh. How dare Trini. How dare Jason. How dare everyone. She stood up and began walking towards he car. This was ridiculous and not what she had signed up for when she had caught the plane back to the states.

"Hey!" Jason jogged from the front of the school to his jeep. "Where are you going?"

"Back to my apartment." She kept walking.

"Kim, come on."

"Come on?" She spun around to face him. "I didn't know he was here, Jason. I was with Trini this morning, and she knew I was coming here, and she didn't tell me."

"You wouldn't have done your speech or whatever if she had."

"Exactly." Kim reached for the door handle of her silver convertible. "I don't need to be in his life, and he doesn't need to be in mine. I would have cancelled and left." She unlocked the car and slid into the leather seat. "I'm not doing this, Jase. It's not fair for anyone."

"Kimberly…"

"Just-" she sighed. "I'll call Trini. The three of us can have a meal before I leave. But it's not happening now."

He nodded and stepped back. "Okay. Drive safe."

Kim closed the door, started the car, and backed out of the parking space. As she switched gears, she noticed a shape in the front doors of the school. Tommy was leaning against the glass door, watching her drive away. She had to stop a hysterical laugh from escaping her throat. Of course he was there. Of course.


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own the characters, but I do own the story.

* * *

"I ran."

"You ran."

"How stupid."

"How immature."

"What do I do now?"

"What do you want to do now?"

"Punch you in the face." Kim rolled over on her bed and faced the computer screen. "But I can't."

Billy's laughed. "The perks of facetime."

Kimberly picked up her laptop and moved into the kitchen. "I want to punch Trini in the face, too. She knew he was there."

"We all know he's there."

"I didn't." She picked the stem of an apple.

"You don't keep up with all of us."

"I do so." She took a bite. "Trini is here. Jason travels a lot but has an apartment here and in Angel Grove. Zack is currently in Japan on his karate world tour or whatever. And you are the CEO of a bazillion dollar tech company and spend most of your time in a posh LA or New York apartment."

"Kimberly…"

"Fine," she huffed, "and Tommy is in Reefside trying to get himself killed. Whatever."

"Perhaps you should talk with him."

She glared at the screen.

"Perhaps not."

"I know it's the adult thing to do. I just don't think it's fair to bring all of it back up."

"Fair to who?"

"To-" There was a knock on the door. "Hold on." She peered through the peephole and sighed before opening the door.

"We brought lunch to you since you took off." Trini walked in and set a brown paper bag on the counter. "Billy!" she exclaimed seeing him on the computer screen.

"Hello, Trini. Jason."

"Hey, Billy." Jason walked in and sat down on a bar stool before opening the bag. "Sandwiches," he said holding one up.

Kim watched as Trini settled down next to him and grab a chip out of the bag he just opened. Due to the light, she could only see Billy's outline. He looked like he was working on something just below the view of the camera. It was all the same. Despite the years and the experiences, nothing had changed. Except her.

Kim frowned a little thinking about how this wasn't her life anymore. She loved her life in France. She was successful, and she had her family there, but she missed her friends.

"I miss this," she said, thinking a loud.

"Miss what?" Jason took another bite of his sandwich.

"Look at you all. It's all the same."

Trini laughed. "Just a change of location."

"People change, but not as much as we like to think," Billy spoke up.

"I've been running for a really long time, haven't I?"

"Oh, thank goodness!" Trini jumped up and hugged her. "I can't explain how hard it's been letting you come to that conclusion yourself."

"Whoa, Trini." Kim untangled herself from her friend. "I get it. I mean, I ran from him. Ran. I need to get it together a little bit." Trini grinned. "But that does not mean," Kimberly continued, "that I'm moving back or making any changes like that."

"But you'll maybe talk to him?" Trini asked.

"It would be nice to all be on speaking terms again," Billy spoke up.

Kim leaned against the kitchen island across from Trini and Jason. "I'll maybe talk to him."


	5. Chapter 5

I only own the story.

* * *

 _She woke up cold. Without opening her eyes, Kimberly reached out and tried to find the edge of her comforter. Eventually grabbing onto the blanket, she pulled it up around her shoulders._

 _"Blanket hog." An arm curled around her waist, pulling her close._

 _"I think you're confusing us." She smiled and pulled more of the comforter her way. "I wouldn't have to hog them if you didn't pull them your way first."_

 _"Hmm." The arm around her grew tighter. "I don't think you need those anyway."_

 _"But I'm cold!"_

 _"I know a better way to stay warm." He rolled her around to face him and kissed her in an early morning, all the time in the world kind of way._

 _"Not bad," she smiled at him, "but that's not exactly what I had in mind."_

 _"What'd you have in mind?" he asked grinning back at her._

 _"Let me show you…"_

She woke up with her arm outstretched and her hand clutching the sheet. "Seriously?" She sighed and rolled over. Picking up phone from the bedside table, she cringed when she saw the time – 5:38 am. "Seriously?" she asked again. Closing her eyes, she tried to go back to sleep, tried to remember who it was she was supposed to be in bed with, but to no avail.

Kimberly groaned and pushed herself out of bed. No sense in waiting for an alarm: now was as good a time for a run as any. She groaned again, taking a second to stretch. Maybe a run would help shake whatever feeling was left over from the dream. Heaven knew she needed all her wits about her today.

Stretching out her arms above her head, Kim scanned the room for a clean pair of shorts. She should really do laundry. Locating a pink pair (how ironic) across the room, she quickly changed, grabbed her phone, and headed out the door.

* * *

"Good job, Caitlin." Kimberly watched as the girl prepared for a dismount off the balance beam. "Now visualize where you're going to land and _breathe_!"

Caitlin took the advice, and after a deep breath she gracefully flipped of the beam, landing in an elegant pose on the ground.

"Wonderful!" Kim clapped for the girl. "That was perfect."

"And it only took six tries," Caitlin muttered.

"Please," Kim walked over and handed her a bottle of water. "I'm not even going to embarrass myself by telling you how long it took me to land that. You're doing great."

"Really?" The girl grinned.

"Really." Kim checked her watch. "And that's our time. Are you doing another session tomorrow?"

"No." Caitlin looked at the ground, "We could only….I could only make it for one."

"Ah." Kimberly noted the slump in her shoulders. "You know, your coach has my lunch scheduled from eleven to twelve. I don't know about you, but it only takes me, like, five minutes to eat, so I'll probably get some practice in myself in that hour."

Caitlin nodded, "I normally practice at my lunch, too."

Kimberly smiled, "I know tomorrow is Saturday, but if you happen to be around here at eleven, I would love someone to work with."

"Really?!" The girl's mood visibly lifted. "You would let me come back?"

"It's a free gym." Kim winked. "And I would love the company."

"Okay!" Caitlin grabbed her bag. "I'll see you tomorrow, then!"

"Sounds good." Kim watched her leave the gym before bending down to grab her own gym bag.

"That was nice of you."

Kim gasped and spun around, fists raised.

"Easy," Tommy held up his hands. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't," she automatically denied.

"Right. Well, sorry for sneaking up on you, anyway. I just didn't want you to have a chance to get away this time." He laughed, though it sounded little awkward.

"Yeah." She sighed and set down her bag. "I'm sorry about that. I was just…." She shook her head, "It was childish. I'm sorry."

"No, I… I understand," he said with a shrug. "It's been awhile."

"Yeah, it has." There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. "So, are you doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'm a teacher here," he was quick to answer. "I got the job awhile ago, after I graduated from grad school."

"Right. Billy told me about the Ph.D."

"Yeah." He looked down at his feet a moment before looking back at her, "No one's told me much about you, other than that you live in Europe now."

"France," she clarified. "My mom and step-dad moved there after I won nationals several years ago. I was invited to be part of a team there."

"And you still compete."

"I do. A little. More teaching now."

"I guess we have that in common."

She smiled. "I guess." More awkward silence.

After awhile Tommy cleared his throat, "Would you want to, maybe, go get something to eat? Catch up in a more…comfortable place?"

"I…" Kimberly stopped herself. What did she want? To go with him – to a restaurant, coffee shop, apartment, home, whatever. She worried her bottom lip. But how would going anywhere with him end? Badly. "No. I…I don't."

"Oh." He looked taken aback, but she held her ground. "Okay. Well."

Picking up her bag again, she smiled. "It's good to see you doing well."

"Yeah." He ran a hand through his – now short – hair. "You too."

"I'm going to go." She shrugged the strap of her bag over her shoulder. "I'm only in town another day or two, so I doubt we'll run in to each other again."

His eyes caught and held hers for a moment before he responded. "Okay."

"Good bye, Tommy." She headed for the door.

She thought she heard him say something as she was walking away, but she didn't look back. She couldn't look back. If she did she knew she would run back. She missed him. She could feel her heart literally aching.

"It would end badly," she stated under her breath as she walked outside. "Very, very badly.


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own the characters. Just the story.

* * *

"On the house," the bartender said as he handed her another cold bottle.

"Louis, this is not the first one tonight. You've got to let me pay at some point!"

"Not a chance," he put the beer in her hand. "Pretty girl like you brings in business."

"Uh-huh." She took a long sip. "And this would have nothing to do with that date you asked me out on last time I was here?"

"Hey," he laughed and moved closer to her, "you said you would think about it. Just giving you something to help you think."

"Right," she said laughing. "Thanks for that."

"Any time." He grinned and went to help another customer.

She had gone home, originally. Changed out of gym clothes and into jeans and a pink tank top. Laughing into her beer, she realized that she had been wearing a lot of pink lately. It must be this place. How could a ranger, current or retired, wear any other color? She laughed again and took another drink.

Once she changed clothes, she had thought about calling Trini. Maybe asking her to dinner, but she hadn't really felt like putting on a happy face and pretending she was perfectly fine after this afternoon. So, not wanting to be totally alone, she had come here. The bar was the perfect place to wallow in her misery and bad decisions and feel sorry for herself.

"Can I get something stronger?" She asked Louis as he came back around.

"Your usual?"

"Sounds perfect."

"You can put that on my tab." A tall man sat on the seat beside her. "And I'll have another," he held up a nearly empty bottle. "Alex," he said holding his hand out to her.

"Kimberly." She shook his hand. "Thank you for the drink."

"My pleasure. You look like you need it."

She laughed, "Okay. Well." She took the glass Louis handed her. "Thanks again." Turning slightly away from him her gaze rose to the TV above the liquor bottles. She downed her drink in one gulp when she saw the story that was one.

"Louis," she pointed at the glass. It was quickly refilled, and as she sipped (or gulped, whatever) she watched as the cameras captured yet another giant monster doing its best to kill the Power Rangers that were up against it.

"Crazy, huh." Alex said.

Kim ignored him, trying to figure out if any of the rangers were _him._

"If you ask me, the Power Rangers are idiots. Dressing up in spandex and fighting monsters from space. It's stupid. They probably make all the costumes in their basements."

She clenched her teeth and continued ignoring him. It wasn't his fault he didn't know. She went back to watching the rangers that were currently fighting across the screen. None of them looked like him, but he had changed so much. She didn't know if he even still fought the same way.

"You're really into that, aren't you." He leaned close and whispered in her ear, "If you're interested, I'm sure we could have some fun with that back at my place."

Kim jerked away from him. "I am not interested," she replied firmly.

"Come on," he grabbed her wrist, "let's just get out of here."

"Let go, please." Kim tried to pull her arm away, but he held tight.

"Just come one."

She sighed and pulled her arm down so that he was pulled out of his chair. Once he was on the ground, Kimberly stood. "I said I'm not interested." She pulled a twenty dollar bill out of her pocket and put it on the bar. "Thanks, Louis." As she was walking away, something caught her eye on the television.

He was in black. And he still fought exactly the same. Alex was right about one thing; this particular ranger was an idiot.

"And that's why it would end badly," she said to no one as she walked out of the bar. "Because he's going to get himself killed."

* * *

"I'm coming!" Kim yelled loudly. Throwing back the blankets, she angrily climbed out of bed.

Another knock. Louder this time. She frowned. Who in their right mind would be knocking on her door in the middle of the night?! No one who wanted to live, that was for sure.

She made her way through the kitchen, seething all the way. Whoever it was was still knocking. Still! "What?" she all but shouted, opening the door. And then she froze. Tommy was standing in front of her, a huge gash still bleeding across his cheek and his hair a mess- like it had been in a helmet.

"Can I come in? Please?"

It took her a minute to realize he was actually there. Tommy Oliver, whom she had worked so hard to avoid and whom she had basically told to leave her the hell alone was standing on her doorstep. Shaking her head in disbelief, Kimberly took a step back, and he walked in. "What are you doing here, Tommy?"

He started pacing back and forth across her kitchen. "I know I shouldn't be. I promised myself I wouldn't. I told myself I would stay away from you. Trini told me where you live. I bribed her," he said with a laugh. He was talking fast and walking back and forth across the tile just as quickly. "I don't know if you saw the news. I hope you didn't. There was this girl. She was in all pink, Kim. All pink. Who wears all pink these days? She almost died. I got stepped on. Those helmets are strong. Mine shattered, though." He laughed again, rubbing his hand across the bloody side of his face.

She walked behind him and opened the freezer. Pulling out an ice pack, she turned around to face him. "Stop talking." She placed the cold pack on the back of his neck and steered him toward a chair. "Just sit down and shut up."

He was burning up under her hands. It was a side effect of the ranger powers – your core body temp was raised to dangerous levels. The energy was part of it, too. She could remember the nights after a battle when she and Tommy were too wired to settle down. Too heated to go their separate ways. That was how they ended up in his Jeep that very first night.

"What?" Tommy whispered catching her blush.

"Nothing. Let me go get something to clean that with." She began to brush his hair back but stopped short, stood up, and headed toward the bathroom. She would patch him up and kick him out. She shouldn't even do that much for him, but she was a nice person. Or at least she was trying to be. She knelt down to dig for her first aide kit under the sink. He shouldn't be here. He had said it himself. Kim sighed. She would patch him up and kick him out.

He was standing up, looking through the papers on her kitchen counter when she returned. "Find anything good?"

He smiled, still looking down. "Sorry. I just couldn't sit still."

She sighed. "I know." She set down the kit and walked over to the sink. "Come here and let me clean that out."

Tommy walked over to her and leaned down so she could use the sprayer in the sink to clean the wound. "What's PR Gymnastics?"

She made sure the water was cool before beginning. "A gymnastics studio."

"In Florida?"

"Mmhmm." Kim leaned closer to him. There was still class embedded in the cut. "There's one in France, too. Stay there." She walked over to the table to grab a pair of tweezers.

"Looks pretty lucrative."

She laughed and began picking out the small pieces of glass. "I guess."

"What does the PR stand for?" He asked like he didn't already know.

"Nothing." Kim frowned and continued washing out the wound. "Everyone asks that. It doesn't stand for anything." She could be passive-aggressive too. "I think this needs stitches." She stood up and dried off her hands. "Do you want me to call Trini?"

He straightened up and looked at his reflection in the window above the sink. "Would you just do it?"

She hesitated. "I don't think-"

"Come on, Kimberly. You've done them for me before."

"I'm not the one with medical training. Trini is ten times more qualified." She grabbed her cell phone off the counter. "I'm calling her."

"Either you do it or I won't bother." Tommy took her phone out of her hands.

She glared at him. "Is that supposed to be a threat?"

He shrugged and sat back down in the kitchen chair.

Kim scowled at him a moment more before snatching a stitch kit out of the box. "Fine. The quicker I do them the sooner you can leave."

"Fine." He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes.

She ripped open the plastic. "Why are you even here, Tommy?"

"The girl. She was wearing all pink."

"I'm sure you see girls wearing pink everyday."

"Yeah. But she almost died. And for a second I thought-"

"That she was me?"

"Yeah."

"She wasn't."

"Can you blame me for wanting to see you?"

"This isn't about blame."

"What's it about?" His eyes opened and met hers.

"You tell me." She refused to look at him. "You wanted to check in on me? You could have had Trini call. In fact, she and I are supposed to have breakfast in a few hours; you could have waited and asked her about it. You could have waited until randomly seeing me at the school. You could have done a million things." Kim cut the filament and stepped back. "But you're here."

"Yeah." Tommy stood up. "I'm here." He took a step towards her.

"Move one more inch and I will run you clean through with these scissors. And then you'll have to call Trini."

"Kim..." he took another step.

"No." She held the scissors out like they really would stop him.

He sighed and grabbed her wrist, pulling the scissors out of her grip. "Do you really feel like you need something to protect you? It's me."

She tried to pull her arm away, but he wouldn't let go. "I don't need anything to protect me. I can take care of myself."

"I know that." Tommy dropped his hand. "Look, I didn't come here to fight. I didn't come here for anything. I just had to come here."

Kimberly walked away from him and into the bedroom. It was the farthest room from the kitchen and she needed space. She was angry. She laughed as she acknowledged the emotion. She had never been angry with him, or at least never admitted it, but now… Now she was angry.

"I can't believe you came here," she said slowly when she heard him walk up behind her. "I can't believe you even thought about coming here." She turned on her heel to face him with her hands in fists at her side. "I left Angel Grove. I left, and I got out. And I swore I would never be as stupid as that 17 year old girl again."

"Kim."

"Shut. Up." She took a deep breath. "I loved you. All I wanted, all I cared about was you. I was stupid and selfish. Even more so when I lost my coin to Kat and expected you to give away yours."

"I had no idea-"

"I am still talking!" she snapped. Kim took another deep breath. "I was so angry. I was angry at you, angry at myself." Another deep breath. "And I just realized that I am still angry." She sat down on the edge of her bed. "I'm still really, really angry."

"Kim." Tommy started to move close, but paused. "Can I sit next to you?"

"Yeah." Kim looked down at her hands.

Tommy sat next to her on the bed. "I'm angry too, Kim."

She nodded. "At me."

"At you. At me. At everything." He smoothed out a wrinkle in the white sheets. "I guess I came here because I wanted some kind of closure, maybe." He paused and then chuckled, "That's not true. I don't want to let you go. I haven't let you go."

"Because you're angry with me?"

"Yes. No." He shook his head. "Kim, you broke my heart. And then you came back, and then you left and broke it again. And now I see you after ten years."

"And it's all still there."

"Yeah."

She moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I didn't know you were here. I shouldn't have come back" she whispered.

She felt Tommy nod.


	7. Chapter 7

**I only own the story.**

* * *

"So, where is he now?" Trini asked as a waiter set their coffee down in front of them.

"In my apartment." Kimberly ripped open a packet of sugar.

"You left him in your apartment? Hmm." She ripped a croissant in half. "Is that a good idea?"

Kimberly laughed, "Probably not," she took the other half, "But none of it really was. I probably should have closed the door in his face."

"Probably."

Kimberly raised an eyebrow, "I didn't expect you to agree."

"I bet," Trini laughed, "Part of me agrees. Part of me doesn't." She took a sip of coffee. "I think it was good that you let him in. He probably needed it. I mean, he did offer me unlimited use of his user id at the university library."

"That's what he bribed you with? Seriously?"

"It helps to have free access to psychiatric journals! Those articles are not cheap!"

She rolled her eyes. "Hope it was worth it."

"All I'm saying is that maybe he needed someone who understands."

"What do you mean?"

"He and Jason are the only two Rangers who have been there, fighting, since the beginning. And you know that they don't always see eye to eye."

"Tell me about it," Kimberly mumbled.

"Right. So maybe he just needed someone who gets it, who could just be in the moment with him." Trini sighed, "Jase said a lot of people died last night. The news was really vague about it this morning."

"Yeah, I saw." Kim sighed. "I don't know if I want to be that person for him, Tri. Stuff like that can get messy."

"If you let it." Trini popped a strawberry in her mouth thoughtfully. "What do you want?"

"Oh, no. I'm not one of your clients."

"No kidding. My hourly fees cost way more than this breakfast. And I paid for breakfast. What do you want, Hart?"

"I'm serious about not being one of your clients. I know what I want. I don't need to be coached into it."

Trini rolled her eyes. "Okay…"

"I want him. Always have, always will."

"Okay…"

"But I want him alive. And I don't want to wonder if I'm going to get a phone call from Billy or from you saying he's not."

"He's good at what he does, Kimberly. I don't think you have to worry too much about him."

"You can't promise that. And everyone's after the green, white, red, black, purple, orange, whatever ranger. I understand that life isn't promised in any respect. But the odds still aren't good."

Trini nodded. "I get it. But what if you talked to him about it? Maybe that would change things?"

"Sure. He'll give up the rangers, totally, confess his undying love for me, and we can both live happily ever after in France." She slammed her coffee down a little too hard. "Sounds perfect."

"Kimberly…"

"Can we just change the subject?"

"Sure."

* * *

She balanced the coffee and muffins in the crook of her arm as she pushed open the door to her apartment. "Tommy?" she called out tentatively.

No answer.

She set the food down on the counter and made her way to the bedroom. Walking into the room, she noticed that the bed was made and the room was picked up. After looking in the bathroom, she saw that the first aide kit was put up (although a few Band-Aids lighter), and the towel from last night as well as a slightly damp one was in the hamper.

He was gone, she acknowledged as she walked back to the kitchen. She dumped one of the coffees down the drain and tossed the muffins in the trash. Probably for the best.


	8. Chapter 8

I don't own power rangers. Just the story.

* * *

It was raining. Monsooning. Of-freaking-course.

It never rained in this part of the state. Kimberly could count on her fingers the times it had rained from the time she was a baby to now. But, naturally, the night she really needed to get lost on a long run, preferably in the woods, it was pouring.

She pushed both the speed and the incline up on the treadmill. The gymnastics coach had been nice enough to leave the door to the school's training room open for her after hearing her dismay about the weather – "the least" she could do. The coach was sweet. Spending the day working with the girls from the high school team had been amazing. It had really reminded her how much she loved teaching this age group – something she hadn't done in a while since it was mostly college aged girls who could pay her training prices. She should take on a few younger girls. Maybe free of charge. Even Tommy had noticed that her gyms were doing very well.

Tommy.

Who did he think he was, running to her late at night and then just disappearing? More importantly, why did she let him in? She should have let him bleed to death in the hallway of her building.

She turned the speed up again.

He was a coward. Coming to see her all tweaked out on space power, but running away the second the endorphins wore out. She guessed they were both runners. Yet another reason why they would never work.

Kimberly felt her watch buzz against her wrist. She turned down the speed to read the text that had bounced up on screen. Trini wanted to take her out to dinner, some place nice, the text said. The words "don't bail" were in all caps. And underlined. Damn. Sighing, she ended the run and hopped off the machine. She could manage a dinner with Trini. Maybe Jason, too. Kimberly slowly gathered up her things and made her way out of the school. Dinner could be fun. She hadn't really gotten to talk with any of her old friends in such a long time, even if that was on purpose.

.

.

.

Kimberly pulled into the parking lot and checked her phone. Trini had sent a text with the table number that she was supposed to give to the host. Fourteen. She could remember that. She quickly made her way into the restaurant, stopping for a moment to check her reflection in the full-length mirror that had been placed right inside the entrance. Handy.

She frowned at the attempt she had made to curl her hair as it was almost straight after only about an hour, but the black dress she had chosen still looked pretty good- if she said so herself. It was complimented by her favorite pair of Jimmy Choos, and Kimberly laughed at herself and her designer shopping addiction. With a quick reapplication of her lipstick, she walked through the second door and into the front of the restaurant.

"Good evening!" the hostess greeted her, "How many in your party tonight?"

"Hello. I'm actually meeting someone."

"Have they already arrived?"

"Yes. It's-" There he was. She was really sick of him just showing up. And she was especially sick of him showing up looking like something out of her almost daily fantasies.

"Miss?"

"I, um." Kimberly looked at the host and then back at Tommy. He was dressed in a simple suite, but had, she assumed, taken off the jacket and tie. A few buttons were undone at his collar, and his sleeves were rolled up. The tattoos were new. And a nice touch.

"Do you have a table number?"

Kimberly did her best to snap back to the present moment. "Yes. It's….uh." Damn. She had forgotten the table number.

"Fourteen." Jason walked up beside her and put a hand on her back. "I'll show her, Leia. She's meeting me, after all."

"Oh. Of course, Mr. Scott."

Jason laughed quietly as he led Kimberly into the dining area.

"What was that about?"

"I could ask you the same question, sis." He laughed again. "I volunteered to help out Tommy and Rocky one weekend and Leia was the sister to one of their students. We went out once or twice forever ago. I don't know why she called me Mr. Scott."

"I think she might want to kill me," she said looking over her shoulder at the glowering hostess.

"Hm. So, I noticed you noticing Tommy."

She stopped walking. "Trini didn't say anything about him being here. Does he know I'm going to be here?"

"I guess." Jason shrugged, "You know Trini."

"Jase," she turned to face him, "I know I can do this, but I don't know if I can do this."

"I don't get it."

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and thought for a moment. "Have you ever known that something was just supposed to be? You're just supposed to have it or do it or whatever, but everything is against it?"

He looked down and nodded.

"Now imagine having that thrown in your face at every corner."

He nodded again and put his arm around her. "We'll get through it. Just sit down and don't get up until it's over."

"Kimberly!" Trini was standing up and waving them over. And there was Tommy-looking at the ground.

She took a deep breath. "I can sit." Putting a smile on her face she strode over and gave Trini a hug. "Hey, girl."

"I'm so glad you came!" Trini let her go. "I threatened to conference in Zach and Billy. But they both refused to answer the phone."

"She did try," Tommy spoke up.

Kimberly mentally checked her smile and turned toward him, "Hey, Oliver."

"Hart." Tommy smiled.

"Sit." Trini pushed her down into the chair between herself and Tommy.

She could do this. She could make it through one meal. As everyone talked about their day and various jobs, Kim did her best to smile and laugh appropriately. It was difficult considering that, occasionally, his leg brushed hers under the table (accident?) and his cologne was practically smothering her (but in the best way possible), but she did it. She made it through the appetizer, staying mostly quiet with only a few words here and there. She made it through the meal, with maybe one glass of wine too many, but whatever. She was doing this.

"Dessert?" Trini handed her a menu. "I always get the cheesecake. It's definitely a guilty pleasure."

Kimberly laughed, "Sure." She opened the menu and looked at what was listed.

"I don't know why you're even looking," Tommy said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Her words came out quieter than she intended, but she thought she was doing pretty good being unable to breathe and all.

"I know what you're going to get. You always get the same thing."

She put her smile back on and took a deep breath, "Maybe I've changed."

"Maybe. Want to bet on it?"

She regarded him for a moment. "What's the bet?"

"If I'm right, you share it with me."

"When you're wrong?"

" _If_ I'm wrong, I'll go without a dessert."

"Truly a sacrifice." She felt her smile become a little more genuine. The harmless bet was helping. "Okay."

He took the menu out of her hands and pointed when the waiter came over.

"What did you pick?"

"You'll see."

The two shared a smile, and for a moment Kimberly felt like things were okay. They could do this. They could be friends.

"Tommy," Jason nudged him and handed him his phone. "Check this out."

Kim looked at Jason. He was trying way too hard to make the phone pass seem casual. She glanced over at Trini and saw the girl staring at the ground, fiddling with the napkin in her lap.

"Interesting." Tommy handed the phone back and pulled out his own.

"Guys," Trini said. It sounded like a warning. "Not right now, okay?"

The two shared a look. "Right," Jason said.

Tommy slid his phone back in a pocket. "Yeah." He glanced at the exit. "I might have to skip out on dessert, though. Sorry."

"Tommy." Trini sounded disappointed. She made it a point to look at Kimberly, "I think you can stay for dessert."

He shrugged.

"Excuse me for a minute." Kim stood up from the table and turned in the direction of the front door. She thought she had seen a sign for the restrooms, and she needed a second to herself. As she neared the front, the voices from the tables died down. She could hear her heels click a marching cadence on the tile floor. She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes. Was this anger? Why was she angry? What was she expecting? He was a ranger, so of course he would have to leave. That's how it would go. They would start to get along, they would be good, and then he would leave. "I'm so stupid." She leaned against the wall of a tiny hallway that led to the restrooms. Eyes closed, she took three deep breaths. Things wouldn't change. They both led very separate lives and would continue doing so. He-

"Kim?"

He had followed her.

"Are you okay?"

She stood up straight. "Of course."

"You're angry."

She sighed, "Not really."

"Then why did you leave?"

She pointed at the sign on the wall, "Bathroom."

"You're in the hall."

"I am."

Silence.

Kim clenched her fist, she shouldn't be angry. She shouldn't want to hit him square in his perfect, attractive mouth. She should talk to him. Maybe talking would help. Talking never helps.

"I…" he squared his shoulders. "I don't like this."

"What?"

"I don't like how things are with us."

"How are things?"

"Kimberly."

She saw the professor side of him in that single word. Suddenly she felt like she had failed a huge test, and there was no extra credit. "I know," she responded, feeling defeated. She felt her shoulders slump.

He reached out and put his hands on her arms. "I want us to be…normal."

"Normal?" Normal? He was literally holding her at arms length. This was a freaking metaphor in the flesh.

He dropped his arms like he could read her thoughts. "I want you to stop running." He reached out and took her hand. "I want to stop giving you reasons to run."

"But you're not-"

"Doesn't matter." Tommy tugged on her hand and pulled her against him.

She looked up at him, "Tommy?"

"You can tell me to stop. I will." He leaned closer to her.

She didn't say anything. He kissed her. Tentatively - until she put her arms around his neck and pulled him tighter to her. His hands moved down her back to the tops of her thighs and lifted her up between him and the wall. He broke the kiss and bent his head to her shoulder. She shivered and leaned her head back against the wall as his lips touched the crook of her neck. She couldn't breath. She didn't need to.

And then she heard it. It was the same four note alert that she had heard all through high school. She still heard it sometimes, unsure if it was in her mind or just ingrained into her soul.

Tommy let her back to the ground and stepped back. "I have to-"

"Tommy!" Jason stuck his head around the corner.

"I know." Tommy snapped. "Kimberly, I-"

"Have to go." Kim straightened her dress and turned away from him. "I guess I'll see you."

"Kim."

But she was already walking past Jason and back to the table and Trini. He had to go.


	9. Chapter 9

I don't own any of the power rangers. Just the story.

* * *

She should tell Louis to change the channel. Why in the hell would a bar play a news channel all the time? Especially considering it was live coverage of yet another freaking monster terrorizing the city of Reefside. Oh. Reefside was different. She had a fleeting thought that maybe she should be somewhere a little safer than this hole in wall bar, but someone set another shot in front of her, so she was good.

The reporter was saying something about injuries, but she wasn't sure if he was talking about the rangers or the monster. Looking around the bar, she noticed that everyone seemed pretty calm. Maybe it was the constant threat of intergalactic space beasts that gave you some kind of weird inner peace. She finished of the shot. Maybe she could ask one of them how they found that peace. She sure as hell could use some.

"You know who keeps buying these for you, right?" Louis set another shot glass of whiskey in front of her.

"Nope." She finished it.

Louis pointed behind him to a group of men that looked somewhat familiar. "That's the guy you put on the ground the other night."

"Okay." Kim shrugged.

"I think he thinks you'll be more cooperative drunk."

She laughed, "Maybe you should tell him that I definitely will not be." She shrugged again, "So he's paying for all my drinks?"

"That's what he said."

She smiled, "So give me top shelf, and keep them coming."

"I always said you were good for business." He grabbed a bottle and poured her a third shot.

"To your recent monetary gain," she held up the glass before swallowing the drink. "And can you give me something that'll last a few sips?"

"Coming up," Louis said with a laugh.

Kimberly sat by herself until the end of the live broadcast. No one had died, so that was good. Maybe she should call Trini and make sure everyone was okay. "Why would I do that?" She asked herself out loud. She stood up from the bar stool and had to steady herself against the wooden bar. Okay, so she was a little drunk. Whatever. Slowly and carefully making her way to the restroom, she debated texting Trini. That was less personal than calling. So maybe she cared, and maybe she didn't.

The bathroom was small and dingy, just like every other bar, and Kimberly could barely make out her face in the gritty mirror, but she could see enough to know she looked like crap. Her hair was officially straight, no hint of curl. Her dress was mussed and wrinkled from sitting and from… not sitting. Freaking Tommy. Just like him to mess something up and go. Her makeup looked a little smudged, so she splashed some water on her face to clean up. It was all okay. Everything was totally fine.

As she made her way back to her seat, the same man from the previous night walked up beside her.

"I will break your arm this time," she warned.

He held up his hands. "I know it probably looks like I'm trying something, but I learned my lesson last time."

"Then what are you doing right now?"

"Making amends."

She laughed under her breath. "Of course you are."

"No, really." He sat down next to her. "I'm Alex. I'm sure you don't remember."

"I didn't."

"And you are?"

She took a deep breath. Was he a jerk, or was he genuinely trying to make up for acting like one? "Kimberly." Either way, she could hold her own.

"Kimberly."

She didn't really like how her name sounded in his mouth, but she decided to overlook it.

"Let me buy you a drink?"

"You've been buying them all night from what I understand.

"Right," he smiled, "so drink the next one with me?"

"Sure. Okay."

He wasn't all bad. Alex was pretty funny and somewhat interesting, and he was a great distraction. Plus, he had probably bought her over a hundred dollars in whiskey, so she probably shouldn't complain too much.

"Okay, okay." Alex signaled for anther shot.

Kimberly laughed, "Okay, what?"

"Time to be serious."

"Probably. Your jokes really suck."

"Hey!" He held up his glass. "Those were grade A jokes. Quality stuff!"

"Whatever." She held up her own glass. "How many hours of detention did you get for the egg prank?"

He clinked his glass with hers and they both finished the drink. "Not enough. My mom knew the principal."

"That's unfair."

"Completely." He took a sip of his beer. "So what about your high school career?"

"What about it?" Louis set a glass of water in front of her. She ignored it and took a sip of her whiskey and coke. Maybe he had bought her around two hundred dollars worth of liquor. It was hard to keep track at this point.

"I told you all of my nefarious tails. Your turn."

She giggled, "big word."

"I'm not as drunk as you."

"You should catch up." She smiled at him. He smiled back. "High school was pretty standard for me. I was a good kid. No trouble."

"Come on. You've got to have something." He leaned closer to her. "Hanging out under the bleachers, detention for smoking in the bathroom?" he whispered conspiratorially.

"Nothing," she leaned in and whispered back. Laughing, she straightened back up. Suddenly, she felt her head start to swim. "Whoa," she said, putting a hand to her forehead.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." She smiled. "I think I should probably head home."

"Oh." He frowned. "Are you going to be okay? Do you need a cab or anything?"

"No." She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. He was cute. And she was having fun. He was very distracting. "You could walk me home? I'm not too far from here."

He smiled again. "You sure?"

Tommy popped into her head for a split second, but she pushed the thought away. "Yeah."

.

.

.

"Okay," Kimberly clutched the stair rail, chuckling, "Steps shouldn't be this difficult."

"It's the heels," Alex put an arm around her waist and practically lifted her up the final few steps, "And the whiskey."

"Thanks to you!" she laughed and leaned against him. "The heels will come off as soon as I get in my apartment."

"And the dress?" he smirked.

"I don't know if you're that lucky."

He grinned and tightened his grip on her, "I'm very lucky."

"Maybe you-" Kimberly was more than a little surprised to see the tall, spikey haired man leaning against her wall. "Tommy?"

"Kimberly."

"Is he really there?" she whispered loudly to Alex.

"Yes," he muttered in response. He immediately let go of her.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, stumbling a bit without the extra support.

"Who's your friend?" Alex asked crossing his arms.

"Tommy. Alex." She pointed at each man in turn. "This is hilarious," she said breaking into a fit of giggles. "Like. If you two only knew. "

"Maybe you should go inside, Kimberly." Tommy didn't even look at her, too busy sizing up the man who had walked her up.

"I absolutely should go in my apartment. I am way too drunk to deal with this." Chuckling, she reached in her bag for her key and unlocked the door. "To the death, boys," she said, still laughing. She shut the door behind her and turned on the lights. "This is ridiculous," she spoke out loud to herself. "Fucking green ranger. White ranger. Black ranger. Damn ranger!" She slammed her keys on the countertop. "I don't like this!" she yelled and then laughed. Who knew what she did and didn't like these days. She didn't like being pushed out of the way, but she did like how macho Tommy got when he saw Alex. And he got that 'kill it' look in his eyes that she had fallen hard for when she was younger. She liked Tommy. But, wait, she wasn't supposed to. It was all very confusing. " And it's your fault!" she yelled again. Damn ranger showing up where he wasn't supposed to be. Breaking things like her hopes and dreams. And her heart. But he sure looked good when he was doing it.

She reached down and unbuckled the straps of her shoes to slide them off. As she was standing up, the door opened. Tommy walked in, closing and locking it behind him.

"What did you do to Alex?" She suddenly wished she had kept the shoes on. It would be a lot easier to intimidate him if she weren't so short. And to kiss him again, if she was being honest.

"I didn't do anything to him. I asked him to leave. He left."

"You threatened to cut him to shreds with your sword of justice or whatever the hell you have now, didn't you?"

Tommy raised an eyebrow. "You're worried about him? Who is he?"

"Just a nice person."

"Why was he talking about your dress coming off?"

"Why do you care?" He could take her dress off. She started to walk towards him, but stumbled and caught herself on the counter.

"How much did you drink tonight?" He walked to the sink and filled a glass with water.

"Why do you keep asking stupid questions? I am an adult. If I want to drink too much and talk to a nice boy about taking my dress off, I am allowed." She took a sip of the water he handed her.

"Just surprising after the restaurant."

"You mean the one where you kissed me and then left me to go fight some alien reject? _Super_ surprising." Maybe she should kiss him this time. Maybe then he wouldn't leave.

Tommy frowned, "You walked away from me."

"No, no, no." Kim held up her hands. "That's wrong. And I am too drunk to talk about this." She started walking down the hall toward her bedroom, unzipping the side of her dress as she went.

"Kimberly, what are you doing?" She heard his steps move down the hall.

"Changing clothes." She turned and glared at him. "What are you doing?" She asked as he followed her farther in.

"I don't know." He ran a hand through his hair. "I came to see you?"

"Really? Out of the goodness of your heart? Or did Trini tell you to come check up on poor, little me?" She rolled her eyes and rummaged through a pile of clothes, looking for the oversized t-shirt she normally slept in. "She says my drinking is an unhealthy coping mechanism. Whatever. Gotcha." Her hand closed around the blue fabric. She turned to face him. "I'm about to get naked for a minute. You can wait in the living room." Or maybe he could stay.

"Um. Right." He quickly turned and walked out of the room.

Kim changed into the old shirt, taking a second to calm down. Okay. He was in her apartment. Okay. He wanted to talk. Okay. He was insanely hot and she really wanted to take advantage of that. No. That was the alcohol talking. Okay. She needed to make him leave. She could do that. Easy.

"Okay," she said, coming out of her bedroom, "we've got to schedule this conversation for another time because it won't end well right now."

"That's my shirt." Tommy smiled.

"What?" She looked down. Sure enough, it was an old Angel Grove football t-shirt. "Well, damn." She took a deep breath, "It's just really soft. I mean, you don't find things like this anymore." She looked back up, "I just like it," she said softly.

He laughed quietly and walked over to her. "It is a good shirt," he said, touching her sleeve.

His hand was hot against her arm. She could practically feel the left over energy crackle against her skin.

He slowly moved his hand from her sleeve, to her shoulder, and then to the side of her neck. "I came here to talk to you. Get everything straightened out. You've always been bad at sleeping. I thought you'd still be awake."

"I'm awake." She was, right? This was real, right? She remembered the last time she had been this close to him. Before the restaurant, before she had cut off most contact with everyone, he had saved her from Maligore, and he had looked at her like his problems were solved. Like he had it all figured out. He was looking at her like that now.

"I didn't come here for anything other than to talk. I swear." His other hand reached around to rest on her lower back, pulling her closer.

"I believe you." She was doing her best to stay coherent, but between the alcohol and _him_ it was almost impossible. She tried to keep breathing. She was supposed to be making him leave.

"I don't want to take advantage of you." He pushed back a little. "That's not why I came here."

"Are you saying that for your benefit or mine?" She curled her arms around his waist to stop him from moving away. "You're not taking advantage of me." She stood on her tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. Tommy kissed her back in an almost desperate way. His lips were hot. His hands were hot. Heat practically radiated from him, and she remembered how much she loved that feeling. She reached her hands under his shirt and heard him inhale sharply.

His arm tightened around her middle, and his other hand closed around the hem of her shirt as he pulled back from her. "You can tell me to stop. I will."

"You can stop threatening me with that, for damn sure." She closed her hand around his and urged him to lift up her shirt.

He may have not come for this reason, but he obviously wanted it as much as she did, drunk or sober.

There was no making him leave now.


End file.
